One of the things I constantly preach is about learning new things. And my blog has been mostly about learning about self, which is super important as well so no regrets! I thought it was time to teach you guys something you may not know about.
Lately I’ve been reminded of my work and research that was put into learning about the last Empress of Russia, Alexandra Feodorovna (known as Alix). She was painted with unfavorable light due to the family’s relationship with Rasputin and the fall of Imperial Russia. Here’s some stuff you may not know about her.
-her grandmother was Queen Victoria of Great Britain
-she had a firm and independent stance on marriage, which was rare/unheard of in the late 1800s. it was considered unfeminine or unnatural
-French was the language of the Russian court, and when she would learn/practice the courtiers would laugh at her efforts and criticize her
-she had an excessive focus, borderline unhealthy fixation, on how her home was run
-under Alix’s patronage, 85 hospitals around Petrograd were operating within the first four months of WWI. She and her older daughter even trained to become surgical nurses
-she disliked crowds, and always sought isolation and quiet
-obsessive about having something to do, and without a job she felt useless
-strongly empathetic, to the point where she could be counted on to get up out of her sickbed in response to others’ needs
-loved her family. This is a bit odd to add, however she was seen as ‘wasting her time’ when she was looking after her daughters whose ‘existence were of no use to the Russian empire’. She adored all her kids
-as well, she and her husband had a very loving relationship
-and now, allow me to tell you my favorite story I found, told by Princess Obolensky. While on one of their ships, they struck a rock which left a hole in the hull and it was sinking. Alix saw to the safety of the family and staff, mobilized everyone’s efforts, and managed to salvage the valuables from the cabins. Forgetting herself (she was the last woman to leave the ship) and caught up entirely in the peril of the moment, Alix had ‘acted as one born to command’
And that’s all I’ll give you now. She was a fascinating woman, and I was actually thrilled to learn more about her, even if she was a tragic character of history.
Whatever interests you, learn of it.
Hugs
Alexandra
Alexandra TG 